Juan de Marcos González and the Afro-Cuban All Stars will return to Madison’s Overture Hall Friday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., for an evening of Cuban music and dancing, blending traditional rhythms with jazz and big-band sounds.
Founded by Cuban bandleader González, the internationally acclaimed ensemble emerged from the musical movement that introduced audiences worldwide to the Buena Vista Social Club. The group brings together veteran performers and emerging musicians to celebrate Cuban music across generations.
González has visited Madison several times, including a fall 2015 residency at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he taught courses on Afro-Cuban music and production, led master classes with School of Music ensembles, participated in community outreach in Madison and Milwaukee, and presented public lectures and performances featuring Pellejo Secco, the Afro-Cuban All Stars and Telmary Diaz.
“I’ve been to Madison a few times before, and I enjoyed being the interdisciplinary artist-in-residence at UW–Madison in fall 2015,” González tells Madison365. “I taught three different classes there. I love Madison, and I still have many friends there.”
González grew up in Havana’s historic Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood, part of Centro Habana immediately west of Old Havana, where music was a constant presence. Although he initially gravitated toward rock music, he eventually turned his attention to Cuba’s traditional sounds.
“Initially, I was big into rock and roll music at age 17 and 18, drawing inspiration from groups like Santana, Jethro Tull and the Grateful Dead,” he remembers. “I eventually turned my eyes to real, traditional Cuban music, and we founded [the Cuban band] Sierra Maestra at the university back in 1976.”
While studying hydraulic engineering and music at the University of Havana, González co-founded Sierra Maestra, a group dedicated to reviving the traditional Cuban son associated with the 1920s and the Sierra Maestra mountain range in eastern Cuba. The group sought to introduce younger generations to the genre and became a success in Cuba.
In 1996, González partnered with British record producer Nick Gold to record two albums celebrating different aspects of Cuban music. One drew inspiration from the big-band sounds of the 1950s; the other explored the musical traditions of eastern Cuba.
The first album, A Toda Cuba le Gusta, became the debut release of the Afro-Cuban All Stars and earned a Grammy nomination in 1998. The second project became Buena Vista Social Club, which went on to achieve international success.
“We came to an understanding that we would record in Cuba in 1996 a set of two albums,” González said. “The first one should be a tribute to the Cuban music of the ’50s with the punchy sound of the big bands of the era, and then the second one should be something deeper, using the music of the eastern side of the island.”
The sessions helped launch a new chapter in González’s career.
“We went to the studio in 1996 and we recorded the album of the big band that was the first studio album of the Afro-Cuban All Stars, and the second album was called the Buena Vista Social Club,” he remembers. “And from that time on, I’ve been touring all my life.”
The success of Buena Vista Social Club helped bring Cuban music to international audiences after decades of limited distribution in the United States following the breakdown of U.S.-Cuba relations in 1961.
González says the political and economic upheaval of the 1990s, including the collapse of the Soviet Union, drew renewed international attention to Cuba and its music.
“In the ’90s, everybody was expecting the crash of the Cuban Revolution,” he says. “All eyes turned to Cuba. People discovered the magic and the charm of the old guys.”
He says audiences were drawn to the veteran musicians and sounds that many listeners remembered from their parents’ record collections. The renewed interest also brought more visitors to Cuba and helped propel Buena Vista Social Club to worldwide recognition.
González, the son of vocalist Marcos González, who performed with legendary Cuban bandleader Arsenio Rodríguez, says he is currently writing a book about Buena Vista Social Club and a novel about his life and his generation in Cuba. He expects to finish both by the middle of next year.
“I’m writing the books because I wanted to let people know about everything that I remember and what happened and why it was so successful,” he says. “Many of them were friends of my daddy and people that I admired since I was a kid, and suddenly I became their leader. It was such a great experience.”
Friday’s performance at the Overture Center by Juan de Marcos González and the Afro-Cuban All Stars will offer audiences a journey through Cuban music and its evolution across generations.
“We’re going to bring Cuban music to Madison in a way that allows people to appreciate the diversity of the music and the quality and musicianship of our band members,” González says. “It’s going to be a journey through Cuban music and culture. It’s going to be joyful. We hope people leave our event much happier than when they came.”
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. A pre-show demonstration featuring members of Madison’s Charanga Agozá will take place at 6 p.m. on the Promenade Terrace, highlighting the rhythms and history of Cuban music.
Following the concert, Charanga Agozá will perform salsa music in the Overture Hall main lobby at 9 p.m. The post-show event will include dancing and free coffee samples from Rusty Dog Coffee.
Tickets range from $39.15 to $65.55. The performance is recommended for ages 6 and older, and a designated dance floor will be available near the stage.
